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Austin Jay Jay Okocha was on Friday elected the chairman of Delta State Football Association, replacing NFF president, Amaju Pinnick.
Okocha had been on acting basis since Pinnick was elected NFF president last year.
Okocha polled 26 out of the 27 votes cast.
Renewed fighting has occured in eastern Ukraine despite European efforts to revive a fresh ceasefire, a day after pro-Russian separatists who spurned the truce forced thousands of government troops to withdraw from the strategic town of Debaltseve.
Artillery was still raining down near Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub, on Thursday, and the Ukrainian military said its troops had come under fire elsewhere from rebels.
Western nations have refused to give up on a peace deal negotiated last week even though rebels disavowed it to seize Debaltseve.
Thousands of besieged Ukrainian troops pulled out of the town on Wednesday in one of the worst defeats for the Kiev government of a 10-month war that has killed more than 5,000 people.
Pro-Russian separatists have broken the ceasefire more than 250 times since it went into effect earlier this week, a US official said on Thursday.
"The United States condemns continuing attacks by Russia-backed separatists in and around Debaltseve, Mariupol and other locations in eastern Ukraine which violate the ceasefire and flout the Minsk agreements," Jen Psaki, State Department
The United States and Turkey have signed an agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters.
The agreement states that Ankara will provide an equal number of trainers to work alongside their American military counterparts, a U. official said on Thursday.
The deal with Turkey formalised plans for one of four known sites to be used in a broader programme to train Syrian rebels opposed to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.
A deal for a facility in Jordan is imminent and locations in Saudi Arabia and Qatar could be ready in a few months, the US official said.
The effort to train and equip Syrian moderates to fight ISIL began to pick up steam after months of planning.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had identified some 1,200 Syrian opposition fighters for potential training.
The US-Turkey deal was signed by an undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry and the US ambassador, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said.
It provides a training facility that will require only modest security upgrades, work Ankara has already begun, an official at the US military's Central Command told reporters.
"The site that they have offered is a brand new facility. It is one that we would be proud to call our own," said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said the training site Jordan planned to provide also was new and ready to use.
"We're working through some final technical agreements with them (Jordan) that we anticipate being signed any day, if it has not already been signed," the official said.
A site offered by Saudi Arabia will be ready for use within 30 to 90 days, "so it will come into the picture shortly after Jordan and Turkey," the official said.
A site offered by Qatar could be ready within six to nine months, he said.
The US official said Turkey demanded an equal role in the training mission and would provide the same number of trainers at its facility as the American side.
US officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian fighters a year for three years under the programme, which is due to begin in March.
Turkey hopes the training will also bolster the weakened and divided Syrian opposition in their war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect attacked Gaya village in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State in the early hours of Thursday.
Investigations revealed that the rampaging insurgents killed 30 indigenes of the community said to be located near the Sambisa Forest.
The insurgents were also said to have burnt several buildings in the community before fleeing the area.
The attack came shortly after the military liberated 11 communities from the insurgents. The military killed over 300 of the insurgents with several calibre of arms and ammunition seized from them on Tuesday.
A security source explained that the insurgents, who were routed out of their Sambisa Forest training base by the combined team of Air Force and Army personnel operating in the area, had resorted to attacking communities that were far away from areas being covered by the military's presence.
The men of the Nigerian Air Force and ground forces of the Army had been raiding the vast Sambisa Forest since last week in a bid to destroy the camps of the insurgents located in the forest.
It was learnt that the insurgents were targeting remote communities without military presence for destructive attacks.
The source said, "The fighters of the Boko Haram sect attacked Gaya community in Hong Local Government Area here in Adamawa State.
"They killed over 30 people and burnt down several buildings in the community. You know that that community is in the border area just by the Sambisa Forest.
"Those who attacked the community were dislodged from the Sambisa Forest by the ongoing raid being carried out by the Air Force and the ground soldiers.
"The military is now in control of a large part of the Sambisa Forest and the insurgents are moving in bands and launching attacks on the communities that are far from where the soldiers checkpoints are."
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, said that he was not aware of such an attack on the community near the Sambisa Forest.
He, however, said that a combined operation by the personnel of the Nigerian Air Force and the ground troops had resulted in the death of many insurgents in Sambisa Forest and parts of Gwoza.
Olukolade said in a statement on Thursday that the air strikes which hit targets with precision resulted in a heavy casualty among the insurgents.
He said, "A concerted air campaign by the Nigerian Air Force is ongoing in furtherance of the mission to clear terrorists from all their enclaves.
"The air strikes, which today targeted the training camps and logistics dumps of the terrorists in Sambisa forests and parts of Gwoza, have been highly successful as it achieved the aims with required precision.
"The death of a large number of terrorists has been recorded while many others are also scampering all over the forest and out of the struck bases.
"Details of casualty will be determined in subsequent phases of the operation.
"Meanwhile, the strikes continue in other locations of the theatre heralding the advance of troops and other elements of the mission."
Meanwhile, 158 women and children abducted by the Boko Haram militants, who regained their freedom sometimes last month, on Thursday reunited with their family members in Yobe State.
The women and children were abducted in Katarko town of Gujba Local Government Area of the state, a distance of 22 kilometres south of Damaturu, the state capital.
Presenting the victims to their family members, the Chairman of the state Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Insurgency Victims, Ahmed Goneri, said of the 158 victims, 62 are adults while the remaining 96 are children.
Of the 62 adults, according to him, 15 are now widows because of the attack on the town. He said that the abductees were "today being handed over to their family members."
There were indications on Thursday that the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had ignored a resolution by the House of Representatives to reinstate one Inspector Simon Anyanwu, who was said to have been wrongfully dismissed from service.
Anyanwu, who is currently hospitalised for diabetes, had petitioned the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, over the termination of his appointment without recourse to police disciplinary procedures following which the House on October 16, 2014 directed the police to reverse Anyanwu's dismissal and convert same to retirement with all his entitlements, salary arrears, allowances, gratuity and pension paid.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, had dispatched the Reps' resolution, the votes and proceedings on the issue to the IG, but checks showed that the police boss had yet to restore Anyanwu into service or pay his entitlements as directed.
In his petition, Anyanwu explained that he travelled for medical treatment for which a leave certificate was issued by the police authorities, and that his problems started when he was abducted by ritual killers while travelling back to his base.
The petitioner claimed he was neither queried nor given an orderly room trial, adding that he petitioned the IG, and the Police Service Commission but that none of the steps yielded any result.
When contacted on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, asked Anyanwu to resend his petition, assuring that his matter would be looked into and the right things would be done.
"Let him send his petition afresh, it would be looked into and the right things would be done," he said.
Meanwhile, Abba has threatened to deal with policemen that embark on any strike.
The IG also warned officers of dire consequences of breaching extant rules and regulations as applicable to the Nigeria Police Force.
The PUNCH had on Wednesday published a report that about 15,000 policemen, who were promoted from the rank of sergeant to Inspector and those promoted from the rank of Inspector to Assistant Superintendent of Police, were planning to go on strike in March, 2015 over non-payment of their promotion arrears for over a year.
But the police, in a statement on Thursday by Ojukwu warned the men against the planned strike.
The statement read, "The attention of the Police High Command has been drawn to a media publication captioned, 'Policemen threaten strike over unpaid salaries'.
"At the outset, it is pertinent to state that, the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force is mindful of its responsibility towards the welfare of the workforce; part of which is promotion and recognition of hard work.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigeria Police Force is working assiduously with relevant government departments and agencies to effect the payment of the promotion arrears. Meanwhile, all promoted officers have since January 2015 been enjoying the salaries attendant on their new ranks."
Abba expressed anger over the "recourse to unapproved channels to air perceived grievances," noting that the police regulation provided enough windows for aggrieved officers to ventilate their grievances.
"The IG is miffed that officers have to recourse to unapproved channels to air their perceived grievances. The IG therefore warns such officers of the dire consequences of breaching extant rules and regulations," the statement added.
Members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate on Thursday said they were resolved to stop the re-appointment of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as minister following his alleged indictment in the use of the military to rig the Ekiti governorship election in June last year.
Spokesperson of the APC Senate Caucus, Babafemi Ojudu, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja, explained that other senators from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party were also being co-opted into the struggle.
He said APC senators had started mobilising themselves to frustrate Obanikoro's clearance and approval for fresh appointment.
He said, "We will do everything possible to stop Obanikoro from being cleared as a minister. Ordinarily, being a former senator he is expected to take a bow and receive automatic clearance but in the present circumstance he has serious issues to clear.
"In a normal society, he should have been picked by security agents and quizzed over his involvement in the criminal act of using the military to subvert a democratic process.
"This is a man who used the name of President Goodluck Jonathan to intimidate and harass military officers. He even threatened to determine the fate of the soldier, as the then Minister of State for Defence, if he failed to carry out the alleged rigging plot.
"It is not only the APC senators that are involved in this struggle; senators from other political parties who are genuine democrats have pledged their loyalty for the noble cause. "
Meanwhile, Ojudu, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, has said that federal lawmakers from his state would set in motion procedures for the taking over of the legislative activities of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
Ojudu explained that both chambers of the federal legislature would have taken over the responsibility of the state legislators if the Senate President, David Mark, had not halted the process in December last year.
He lamented that the alleged illegality being perpetrated by seven PDP members of the 26-member of the Ekiti Assembly would have been curtailed if Mark had not stopped a motion for the take-over at the upper legislative chamber.
He said, "We tried to bring it (motion for the takeover) to the Senate before we closed for Christmas break but it was not allowed by Senator David Mark.
"Three of us from Ekiti went to see him about it but he declined to allow us raise it."
The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday flew out of Abuja on a working visit to the United Kingdom.
A statement from his campaign office said in the course of this visit, Buhari is expected to hold meetings with key members of the British political establishment and interact with some global institutions with stakeholder interest in the affairs of Nigeria.
The Director of Media for the campaign, Malam Garba Shehu said, "General Buhari would hopefully give a talk at the prestigious foreign policy hub, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatam House in London."
Two trains slammed into each other in the Swiss town of Rafz north of Zurich early on Friday, leaving passengers injured and train carriages upturned, police and media said.
"There was an accident this morning, it's serious, there are injured," a police spokeswoman told AFP, without providing other details.
The collision occurred at the train station at Rafz, a town some 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Zurich, overturning train carriages, local media reported.
Ambulances have rushed to the scene and service on the train line between the towns of Bulach and Schaffhouse has been suspended.
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has slated March 3, 2015 to rule on an application objecting to the coroner's inquest into the death of the victims of the September 12, 2014 Synagogue building collapse.
The application was filed before Justice Lateefa Okunnu by the Founder, Synagogue Church Of All Nations, Prophet T.B. Joshua.
The prophet had asked Okunnu to determine whether the witness summons served on him to appear before the coroner did not constitute an infringement on his right to fair hearing.
He also contended that the Lagos coroner, Magistrate O.A. Komolafe, had been extending the inquest into areas outside his statutory limit.
Okunnu, on Friday, fixed the ruling date after hearing the reply on point of law filed by Joshua's lawyer, Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), in response to the submission by Lagos State Government asking Okunnu to dismiss the prophet's application.
Canvassing his argument in court, Fagbemi insisted that the coroner's job stopped at the determination of what killed the victims of the building collapse.
He maintained that the coroner had no legal backing to inquire into the possible cause of the building collapse, wherein the about 116 victims perished.
He urged Okunnu to stop the coroner's inquest from becoming "a floodgate for all manners of incursion under the guise of investigation."
"My Lord, I submit respectfully sir that even in the wider interpretation of the words 'how' and 'manner', none of those words can accommodate the situation here to allow the coroner to go beyond mere investigation as to the cause of death," Fagbemi submitted.
He, therefore, urged the court to restrain the coroner from further acting in excess of his jurisdiction, in addition to an order declaring null and void such portion of the coroner's inquest already conducted in excess of jurisdiction.
But the Lagos state counsel, Karmardeen Bakare, had argued that the coroner's job was not only to find the cause of death but also had the latitude to investigate issues pertaining to building approval, soil testing and materials used in the construction of the collapsed building.
"In doing this, he has all the powers of a magistrate to summon and compel the attendance of witnesses, including medical examiners, and require them to give evidence, produce documents or present other relevant materials," Kamardeen added.
The Malian government on Thursday agreed a deal with six armed groups to cease hostilities as part of UN-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending the crisis in the country's north.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said the deal, which does not include Al-Qaeda-linked groups, aimed "to create a climate and state of mind on the ground that would help further negotiations leading to a global peace agreement."
Thursday's ceasefire was signed in the presence of Lamamra and Mongi Hamdi, the head of the 9,300-strong UN peace mission in Mali (MINUSMA). It came during a fifth round of talks in Algiers that started Monday.
A copy of the document seen by AFP said the two sides agreed to "observe an immediate cessation of all forms of violence, and to refrain from any provocative acts or comments."
The ultimate aim is to bring peace to northern Mali, which remains unstable despite French and international military intervention against Islamist rebels launched in 2013.
A draft peace deal outlined by Algeria last year calls for more autonomy for the vast northern desert reaches of Mali.
The document states that the Mali government and the armed groups committed themselves to "pursue negotiations in good faith and in a constructive spirit… to tackle sustainably the tensions recently observed on the ground."
The last weeks have seen violent clashes between opposing Tuareg forces in the Tabankort region that lies halfway between the pro-rebel town of Kidal and Gao, which is in the hands of pro-government Tuareg forces.
The agreement also provides for "the continuation of the implementation of confidence-building measures, including the release of detainees."
Northern Mali was occupied in April 2012 by Islamists, who imposed a brutal rule before being driven out by French troops nine months later.
The six groups that signed the ceasefire were mostly Tuareg but also included Arab organisations.
Signatories included the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA).
They did not include groups linked to Al-Qaeda which had fought alongside the MNLA to occupy northern Mali for more than nine months before being ousted in 2013 by French and Malian troops.
The Government of Bayelsa State has fixed Saturday for the burial of the Peoples Democratic Party Women Leaders, who died in an auto crash along the East-West Road in Rivers State last week.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the burial arrangement was announced by the Bayelsa State Government after a closed-door meeting with families of the victims.
NAN learnt from the Federal Road Safety Commission that nine of the 11 accident victims were burnt beyond recognition, a development that compelled the government to take the option of a mass burial.
The government said a service of songs would hold at the Bayelsa Cultural Centre along Hospital Road in Yenagoa.
A family source, Cherish Itesi, told NAN that state Governor, Seriake Dickson, had directed the Deputy Governor, John Jonah, to meet with the families over the funeral arrangements.
Itesi said the burial venue would be at Ijaw Hero's Park in Yenagoa after the Service of Songs at the Bayelsa Cultural Centre.
He said those expected to attend would include Dickson, Jonah, members of the State Executive Council, the legislature, party members, family members and well wishers.
Itesi said the affected families would organise burial ceremonies for the victims in accordance with the Ijaw tradition after the burial by the state government.
The National Inland Waterways Authority on Friday said some local and foreign investors had indicated interest to operate ferries within Lagos as well as from Lagos to Tema in Ghana.
Lagos Area Office Manager of NIWA, Mr. Mu'azu Sambo, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
He said the ferries would move passengers and goods along the sub-region.
Sambo said the services would further ease the movement of people, especially those living in the outskirts of Lagos "but come to work daily on the Lagos Island."
He said, "Only two weeks ago, we granted approval for an investor at Sierra Leone, who has brought in nine boats. He is already doing a lot of investments in IWT (Inland Water Transport) in Sierra Leone.
"He has come in here; he wants to run ferries between CMS and Ikorodu and also between CMS and Mile 2.
"You know, there are a lot of Lagosians, who come from FESTAC and beyond into Lagos for work every day, and coming by road is a lot of headache.
"So, but if they can get transportation by water from Mile 2 straight to CMS, that will help them a lot.
"They can find somewhere they will park their vehicles, enter the ferry and then come to Lagos in 15, 20 minutes.
"Then, there is another company that wants to run between CMS and Tema in Ghana. From this jetty here, they want to move passengers and goods to Tema, West Coast.''
The manager also said another company, based in the United Kingdom, would bring in boats to operate the same services covering additional routes.
He said that the high interest displayed by foreign investors in Nigeria's inland water transport system could be linked to a conference which NIWA organised in 2014 to sell the idea of private investments.
"The potential of water transportation in Nigeria and government's encouragement of private investments in a friendly environment must have helped in attracting people," Sambo said.
The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps has promoted 83 officers of the corps towards improving productivity.
Zonal Commander, TRACE in Ota, Ogun State, Mr. Ajibade Adekunle, made the disclosure on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ota.
Adekunle explained that those promoted were in the officers and superintendents categories, adding that the promotion was to encourage them to put in their best.
He stated that those decorated were 50 men and 33 women, saying some of the officers received awards for their meritorious performances.
"The TRACE Corps decided to embark on the promotion exercises because some of officers are due for promotion,'' he said.
Adekunle explained that the Traffic Officials Wives Association had been set up with the promotion exercise, so that the wives of the officials could support their husbands and have an insight into their jobs.
Thailand through a Bill passed by the National Legislative Assembly on Thursday outlawed commercial surrogacy.
Surrogacy entails another woman carrying and giving birth to a baby for the couple who want to have a child.
An official report on Friday in Bangkok, said the Bill also prohibited non-Thai couples and all same-sex couples from accessing any surrogacy services in the Kingdom.
It said under the new law, only married heterosexual couples with at least one Thai partner can use surrogates, adding that it must be of free service.
Thailand previously had no law governing surrogacy, making the country a destination for foreign couples seeking a surrogate mother.
The country re-examined the laws following a public outcry in 2014 when a surrogate baby with Down's syndrome was left with his surrogate mother by an Australian couple who took the girl's brother.
Two bomb blasts at a hotel in the center of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, left an unspecified number of people dead and injured, police captain Mohamed Aloley said.
A car bomb exploded at the Central Hotel, followed by a suicide-bomber who struck the facility, Aloley said in an interview at the scene. He declined to give an estimate of casualties. The wounded include some lawmakers, he said.
One person dead and 13 others injured after a train derailed in Magude town of southern Mozambique's Maputo province early Friday.
The train was scheduled from the Mozambican capital Maputo to Zimbabwe, with goods and passengers on board.
Among the casualties, four persons in critical condition were evacuated to the central hospital in Maputo, while others received medical assistance in a local health unit.
The Mozambique Railways and Ports Company has set up a commission to investigate the accident.
A marketer with Mutual Benefit Assurance Plc, Babalola Muyideen, has been accused of diverting customer's funds to private use.
Muyideen, 42, was said to have collected N3.32m from many clients on behalf of the firm.
The police said the defendant failed to remit to money to the company's account.
The police added that the suspect committed the offence between 2012 and 2014.
They explained that during the period, clients who purchased various insurance policies made payments to the firm through its representative, Muyideen.
The insurance marketer was arrested by the police arraigned on two counts before a Lagos Senior Magistrate's Court, Oshodi, Lagos.
The charges read in part, "That you, Babalola Muyideen, between 2012 and 2014 on Town Planning Way, Ilupeju, in the Lagos Magisterial District, being a marketer to Mutual Benefit Assurance Plc., did obtain the sum of N3,320,000 from customers under the pretext of remitting the amount into the company's account which you failed to do."
The offence was said to be punishable under sections 312 (1) and 285 (7) (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.
Muyideen pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.
He was subsequently admitted to bail by the magistrate, L. A. Owolabi, in the sum of N300,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The magistrate ordered that one of those who would stand surties for the defendant must be his relation and must have been paying tax.
"One of the sureties must be a blood relation to the defendant and must be over 40 years old. Both sureties must show evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government," Owolabi said.
The case was subsequently adjourned till March 6, 2015.
A 26-year-old man, Bassey Okhiria, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly running a fake lottery scheme.
The EFCC said the suspects had tried to dupe unsuspecting members of the public through the scheme.
The EFCC said Okhiria was a member of a "deadly syndicate of fraudsters" operating from Ogun State.
It was gathered that Okhiria and some of his alleged gang members were arrested in the Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu areas of Ogun State by the EFCC.
Okhiria was arraigned on Wednesday before Justice O. A. Ipaye of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, by the EFCC on four counts bordering on possession of fraudulent document containing false information "contrary to sections 6, 8(b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, Cap. A6, Law of the Federation of Nigeria.
The charges read in part, "That you, Bassey Okhiria (a.k.a Robert J. Holley) on or before March 3, 2014, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, had in your possession document wherein you falsely represented to one Dr. Katty Sander that you are a US Federal Government agent and that he has won $100,000 lottery from the government."
"That you, Bassey Okhiria (a.k.a Robert J. Holley), on or before March 3, 2014, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, had in your possession document wherein you falsely represented to one Mary Rustan, that you are a US Federal Government agent, and that he has won $100,000 lottery from the government."
When the charges were read to the defendant, he pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution counsel, Babatunde Shonoiki, subsequently asked for a trial date.
He also prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.
But the defence counsel, M. Balogun, informed the court that he had filed an application for bail.
He also prayed the court to allow the defendant to continue to enjoy the terms of an administrative bail earlier granted him by the EFCC.
Ipaye ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the matter till March 23 and 24, 2015 for hearing of the pending bail application.
Some residents of Lagos State on Thursday marched to the state's headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission at Yaba to demand the release of their Permanent Voter Cards.
The protesters, who carried placards with inscriptions such as, "INEC deliberately hold our PVCs," "Non-indigenes of Lagos State refuse to be disenfranchised," "We want to vote, give us our PVCs," had first converged on the Yaba Market before marching to INEC's office.
They were received by officials of the commission, led by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Akin Orebiyi.
Policemen from some police divisions in the state were also on hand to forestall a breakdown of law and order, as they formed a human shield around the INEC officials.
The protesters, in their address, alleged that INEC was being partial in the distribution of the PVCs, adding that some officials of the electoral body had been compromised.
The Chairman of Union of Non-indigenes in Lagos State, Francis Abang, said report from members of the group indicated that 70 per cent of them had yet to collect their PVCs.
He said, "At the last meeting we had, our members told me that more than 70 per cent of our people have not collected their PVCs. And without this card, we cannot vote. That is why we decided to come here and air our grievances. We want to vote."
The National Publicity Secretary of the North Central indigenes in Lagos State, Obalaiye Boyede, said out of 15 polling units in his area in the Iyana Ipaja area of the state, only two had received PVCs.
Boyede said, "A general secretary with us went to Ikeja with his wife to collect his PVC, but they were turned back. I believe there is connivance between some political parties and some INEC officials. These parties are given PVCs in bulk to take home and when anybody raises questions, the situation turns rowdy just to cover up the act.
"In Abule Oki, Iyana Ipaja, where I came from, many of our people are being disenfranchised. Out of 15 polling units, it is only in two that PVCs have been distributed."
Christopher Chimeze, a resident of the Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area claimed he lost his job while chasing his PVC.
The Imo State indigene, who said he had lived all his life in the state, said he had made at least 12 futile attempts to get the card, but was frustrated.
Chimeze said his boss asked him to leave his job "after he did not find me on site on several occasions. But I won't give up, because I believe my vote is what will make that right candidate to win the election."
Onugha Remigus, a 70-year-old protester from the Mushin area of Lagos State, said, "INEC owes me. They used my shop, table and chairs for the distribution of the PVCs and yet, they didn't give me my card."
Another resident, Uche David, said there was a deliberate plot to disenfranchise the Igbos in the state.
He said, "If you go to Ajeromi, you will discover that those from the South-South are being deliberately sidelined. In Ajegunle, they are burning the PVCs of non-indigenes and this is bad. We need our PVCs to vote."
The REC, Orebiyi, promised to look into the complaints, adding that he would visit the affected areas.
He said, "We apologise for the trouble you have had to face to collect your PVCs. Our Chairman, Attahiru Jega, yesterday (Wednesday) addressed the senate on the challenges we are facing.
"We are still awaiting one million PVCs, which have yet to arrive. As soon as they arrive, we will give them to you. We will also investigate the claim that PVCs are being hijacked in some places and any of our officials found culpable will be sanctioned. But be assured that on the part of INEC, there is no plan to disenfranchise anyone.
"We have five weeks to elections. For the next three weekends till March 8, we shall distribute the PVCs."
A Bauchi State High Court presided over by the state Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Umar, has sentenced a middle-aged man to 15 years imprisonment for raping a seven-year-old girl.
The accused, Adamu Abdullahi, was arraigned before the court by the state Director of Public Prosecutions, Dauda Yakubu, for raping a minor (name withheld), an offence said to be contrary to Section 282 of the criminal law and punishable under Section 283 with up to life imprisonment.
In her judgement, Umar said the accused was found guilty on the ground that his voluntary confessional statement corroborated with the oral evidence tendered by the victim.
The victim explained how the convict forced her into his room and had unlawful canal knowledge of her as a result of which she was injured in her private parts.
Umar said the result of a medical examination confirmed the injury she sustained in her private parts as a result of the rape.
After a plea for leniency by the counsel to the accused, Dahiru Abdulhamid, Umar sentenced the accused to 15 years imprisonment from the date he was arraigned in court on March 5, 2012. The justice also fined the convict N3,000.
AN Alfa in the Badagry area of Lagos State, Fatai Afobaje, has been accused of conspiring with some security men in his area to kill his friend, Rafiu Suleiman.
Police sources said after the 40-year-old was dead, Afobaje, along with five others, shared his remains among themselves for ritual purposes.
It was gathered that what remained of the late Kwara State indigene was recovered by men of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday, after an intensive search.
The incident happened at Oko Agbonla, Magbon in the Badagry area.
Metro gathered that Afobaje and Suleiman had been friends for a long time, and the deceased had given a lot of money to the suspect.
Afobaje was said to have conspired with the Chief Security Officer of the area, identified only as Tanko, to kill Suleiman on Friday.
Our correspondent learnt that apart from the corpse, the police also recovered a clay pot which contained the fingers of the deceased with a few naira notes.
A source said the two men had met in a commercial bus and became friends that lasted for years.
He said, "The two men met in a commercial bus. Suleiman had offered to pay the transport fare of Afobaje after the conductor was about embarrassing him because he had no change.
"The Alfa then said he would like to know him better for being so gracious to him (Alfa). So, Suleiman gave theAlfa his address and asked him to visit.
"That was how the friendship started. From what we found out, Suleiman, who worked as a crane operator, would collect his salary and give half of it to Alfa at the end of the month and that happened for a long time."
The source, who added that investigation was still on, said Afobaje suddenly connived with his friends to kill Suleiman.
Another source said on Friday, last week, the victim was called by Alfa to come for a meeting around 8pm.
He said, "As soon as the victim got to the street's gate, the security guards surrounded him and asked who he was looking for. When he told them, they flogged him with charms and he died.
"They then called the Alfa to come and when he arrived, they shared his body parts. While one collected his head, another demanded all his intestines, while another asked for his breasts, which were given out."
Our correspondent learnt that when the victim's boss did not find him, he made a call to his wife, who explained that she had yet to also see him.
His boss was said to have contacted policemen from the Morogbo division who then launched a search for him.
The deceased's brother, Yinusa Wahab, told us that the victim's wife asked him to search Afobaje's house, adding that the victim was there.
Wahab said, "We went to the house, but he was not around. We searched everywhere and didn't see my brother. Later, we saw a mutilated corpse floating on a stream near the house. It was swollen and there was no head. The breast had been cut off.
"We went back to the house and as we looked around, I saw some fingers in a pot which were still being burnt and when I saw them, I could recognise that they belonged to my brother."
The police were said to have apprehended the suspect, and he reportedly named the chief security officer as an accomplice.
Afobaje, when queried, owned up to the act, saying he divided the body with the other suspects.
He said, "He was on his way to my house when he was killed. When I got there, he had been killed and then we shared his body. I urge my accomplices to also confess because the act has been uncovered and there is nothing we can do about it."
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident.
He said, "The decomposing corpse of the victim has been recovered, while Alfa Fatai has been arrested.
"The matter has been transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba."
A suspected illegal immigrant from the Niger Republic, Shuaib Kaneda, says many illegal immigrants usually entered Nigeria by paying between N300 and N500 to unidentified persons.
Shuaib added that he had spent eight years in Nigeria, but could not acquire valid documents before he was arrested by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command.
The 34-year-old was among 82 illegal immigrants paraded on Wednesday at the command's office in Alagbon, Lagos.
The suspects were said to have been arrested at different parts of the Lagos Island area after an intelligence report.
Shuaib was arrested along with a relative, Idris, who had spent barely one year in the country when he was caught.
Shuaib, who spoke in pidgin, said, "I have been here for about eight years now. I work as a loader and make between N1, 000 and N1, 500 a day. I use the money I make to feed my family in the Niger Republic. I am married and have two children and they are in Niger.
"I travel home every six or eight months. The people at the border see many of us when we come in. Sometimes, they collect N300 and other times, we give them N500 before we pass."
His brother, Idris, also explained that he came into the country to make money which he usually sent home to his family of three.
Another suspect, Alimaru Saliade, told PUNCH Metro that he sneaked into the country by mixing up with cows being transported into Nigeria.
Saliade, who claimed not to know his age, said in pidgin, "I followed cows to Lagos. I have been here for four years now and I have not been able to get my documents because I don't have money."
For Yaya Ibrahim, coming to Lagos was to avoid being idle in the village.
"I was in my village and was not doing anything. So, my uncle asked me to come and work in Lagos and that was how I found myself here. My parents live in Ghana but we are from Niger," he said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, Muyiwa Odunubi, said the command raided the suspects based on intelligence report.
He said while some of the suspects were caught around banks' branches, others were found sleeping under the bridge and "constituting nuisance to residents".
He said, "We have a surveillance team that keeps a tab on illegal immigrants in the state. When our men went out, they got them in all manner of places. Some were caught around banks, others were found sleeping under benches. Even fuel stations were not spared.
"In the Idumota area of the state for instance, we found that they have a room where they sleep. It is not clear whether they rented the apartment or somebody gave them the place. We introduced ourselves and arrested them; they never resisted."
The Comptroller of the state's command, Mrs. Justina Ahmadu, commended the officials, adding that the service would intensify efforts to rid the state of anything that could constitute security risk.
She waved away Shuaib's claim, saying most of the illegal immigrants came into the country through unauthorised routes because they did not have valid documents that could guarantee their stay.
"This is a continuous exercise and we will continue to weed out illegal immigrants from the state. Anyone without a valid passport or resident's card will be sent packing.
"We appeal to Lagosians to cooperate with us during our operations by not harbouring any illegal immigrant or fighting our men. This is the only way they can assist us to discharge our functions efficiently," she said.
The father of a 13-year-old bar attendant, Emmanuel Ezekiel, who was allegedly set ablaze by his boss for stealing N1, 500, Mr. Abiodun Ezekiel, has called on the Ogun State Police Command to ensure that the man who killed his son is brought to book.
PUNCH Metro had reported on February 13 that a bar manager in Akoka, Ibafo area of Ogun State, Bidemi Shittu, allegedly poured petrol on his attendant and set him ablaze for theft.
It had also been reported that Emmanuel was rescued from the fire by residents, and rushed to a private hospital for treatment before he was referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, as a result of the severity of the burns.
Our correspondent reported that Emmanuel, however, died at LASUTH on February 15, while the police in Ogun were still searching for Shittu, who had gone into hiding since the day of incident.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, the father, Abiodun, said the money which Shittu claimed his son stole was eventually found, which proved that Emmanuel was innocent.
He enjoined the police to intensify their investigations and fish out the killer of his son.
He said, "Emmanuel is my only son. He has an elder sister who does not stay in Ibafo here. I was not around during the time of the incident as I travelled to Ekiti State to treat myself for an illness.
"I committed Emmanuel to a friend to look after him while I was away.
"It was while in my hometown that I was called on the phone and informed about the matter.
"Emmanuel was not working in the bar. He only stayed around the place because I worked as a security man at the neighbouring hotel.
"When I came back, I told Pa Shittu, the suspect's father, that it was not my son that Bidemi should maltreat because I had been useful to their family in several ways. I want the police to continue with their investigations, and fish out the killer of my son. He must not die in vain.
"I know Emmanuel's mother must have heard about the incident too. We parted ways when Emmanuel was just four."
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the police were still intensfying efforts to apprehend the suspect, adding that procedures were being perfected to officially declare Shittu wanted.
He said, "The police are intensifying efforts to arrest the suspect, and we assure members of the public that we will.
"We are also perfecting all the legal procedures that would enable us to declare him wanted. He will be arrested."
There was confusion at the Oshodi area of Lagos State on Thursday when two factions of hoodlums engaged one another in a supremacy battle.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the hoodlums shot into the air during the clash, which reportedly began at about 4.30pm.
It was gathered that the gunshots, which lasted for several minutes, sent shop owners in the area and passersby scampering for safety.
Our correspondent learnt from eyewitnesses that the cause of the fight was the fees collected at the parks from commercial drivers.
It was said that arguments over the fees led to the clash among the hoodlums.
Policemen from Mosafejo Police Division were said to have arrived the area and shot teargas canisters into the air to disperse the rampaging hoodlums.
It was learnt that the action did little to stop the fight.
A pedestrian, Mr. Udom Bassey, said, "The hoodlums then started exchanging fire with the police.
"They refused to disperse. My eyes almost popped out as a result of the teargas. Most motorists and pedestrians deserted the area during the unrest as the gunshots continued."
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the unrest, adding that the police had sent reinforcements to the area to ensure that normalcy was restored.
He said, "Yes, some street urchins went on rampage at the Oshodi under bridge. Our men have been mobilised, and as I speak to you, the operation is still ongoing.
"Initial report says normalcy has been restored and there is no cause for worry. When the operations are done with, I will be able to give the number of arrests made."
Fresh facts emerged on Thursday about the allegation by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that President Goodluck Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party gave some pastors N6bn to campaign against the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the 2015 presidential election.
A Borno State-based Pastor, Kallamu Dikwa, said the money allegedly given to the pastors by the Presidency was N7bn and not N6bn as alleged by Amaechi, who doubled as the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation.
Amaechi had alleged that some unnamed leaders of the PDP paid N6bn to Christian clerics to campaign against the APC.
But reacting to the Northern States Christian Elders Forum, who challenged Amaechi to name those pastors involved in the bribery scandal, Dikwa told journalists in Kaduna on Thursday that the said money was channelled through the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
Dikwa, who is the Executive Director of the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, said CAN got the said money (N7bn) on January 26, 2015 and disbursed N3m each to state Chairmen of the CAN across the country.
He was also an Associate Pastor with the E. Y. N. Church (Enklesiyan Yan'uwan A Nijeriya) Farm Centre, Dikwa Road, Maiduguri, Borno State, under Rev. Emmanuel Kwajihe between 2002-2004.
But the Presidency and CAN had denied this allegation. While the Presidency said that Dikwa was an agent of the APC, the General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Ayake, maintained that the allegation was total falsehood.
However, Dikwa, said the CAN had started threatening Christians in the state (Borno) that they must re-elect President Jonathan in the rescheduled election.
He said, "It was N7bn that was given to the CAN leadership by President Goodluck Jonathan. They (CAN) later disbursed N3m each to the state chairmen of the CAN. The money was handed over to the CAN leadership on 26th January, 2014.
"This is what I know. One of the CAN officials from Abuja told me that they have collected the money. The corruption in CAN is terrible. They are corrupting the body of Christ because of money.
"They are now threatening Christians in Borno State that they will deal with anybody who refused to vote for Jonathan. And the CAN officials are now campaigning that if Buhari emerges President he will islamise Nigeria; and that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will resign soon after Buhari wins to give way for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to emerge Vice President.
"And at the same time, CAN is threatening Christians in Borno if they didn't vote for Jonathan. And the same CAN continues to blackmail Prof. Yemi Osinbajo that Islamic world has bought Osinbajo with millions of dollars, all this is because of the N7bn bribery that they have received from Jonathan."
But Ayake in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Ilorin on Thursday said, "At no time did CAN collect money from Jonathan to preach against Buhari or to give the impression that Buhari wants to islamise Nigeria."
Ayake added, "I do not think I will lower ourselves, our integrity and our positions to somebody who is fake, who called himself a pastor when he is not; a liar, somebody who does not even know his left from his right. I know the person, if I want to comment, I will be lowering myself and my integrity to such a thing. Please that person is not what he claims to be.
"What he said is a lie. It did not happen. It will not happen.
"He is a liar. We should not waste our time on him. He is not a pastor. He has never been a pastor. He is just a liar. If I should reply, I would be lowering myself. What he said is between him and his God. Let him know that when this life is over, we are going to stand before God to give an account of what we said or did in this life. Let him continue with his lies, God will catch up with him one day."
Also, the Presidency said that Dikwa was making this allegation because he belonged to the APC.
It said that was the reason he would continue to say anything that could advance the interest of his political party.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents.
Abati said, "Is the pastor a member of the APC? He probably belongs to the APC. Since he is a member of the APC, he will echo, modify and amplify whatever Amaechi said.
"I think before you do anything, you should establish the political affiliation of that pastor.
"He must be a member of the APC. Otherwise, he will face his primary responsibility as a pastor.
"I have no doubt that the man is a member of the APC. As a member of the APC, he will say whatever he feels will advance the course of his party."
A woman from Orlu, Imo State showed off a giant Cassava tuber she harvested from her farmland, NairaNaijaNews reports. See photo below.
